


Young Asgardians

by LouStyles91



Series: Stories Inspired by Fan Art [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Avengers Tower, Kid Thor, Multi, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), baby Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2020-05-07 09:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19206883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouStyles91/pseuds/LouStyles91
Summary: After Ultron, the Avengers and their new recruits settle into life at the tower and the new Avengers compound. Thor has gone back to Asgard but he comes back a little different and he’s not alone. He also brought his war criminal baby brother.Now the team has to take care of a de-aged Pair of Asgardians without the first clue on how to do that.





	1. 1

Clint couldn't look away from the toddler sitting in Tony's living room. He knew it was Loki; the resemblance was uncanny, but the kid just looked so god damn innocent. Clint being the only parent in the Avengers, would never hurt a kid, but that didn't mean he would be nice. However baby Loki wasn't their only problem, Thor wasn't looking much like his usual self either. He was significantly bigger and seemed to a good amount older than his brother but nowhere near his actual age. They two had shown up via the Bifrost earlier that morning with no explanation or anything more than the clothes on their backs.

The only good news was that Thor seemed to remember who they were. Both Thor and Loki's memories seemed to be intact up until a few days ago when Thor had gone back to Asgard after Ultron. 

"How old exactly are you two, right now?" Steve asked as Thor's hands Loki a block that the latter dropped. His gaze rarely leaving his younger sibling. 

"Loki is around 150 years old, and I'm around 550 years old, I think." Thor shrugged.

"What's the life expectancy in Asgard?" Bruce asked Thor, earning confused looks from his fellow Avengers before they were replaced with startled ones at Thor's response. "About 5000 years usually." "So Loki's two and Thor's nine by our standards," Bruce said after a moment. 

Tony nodded like he was doing the math in his head with Bruce. Clint looked back down at Loki and watched as he stacked the colored blocks that he continued to create out of thin air. He still had a little bit of magic to work with. Even with their memories unimpaired, the two Asgardians had no control over how they acted according to their current age. Thor was as energetic as ever, and Loki was quiet as he entertained himself, but still as emotional and dependent as most two-year-olds. 

"Is he building the Empire State building?" Natasha asks nobody in particular as she raises an eyebrow at Loki. Who yes seems to be building a model of the famous skyscraper from his blocks and what he can see of it out the window. 

Loki seems to realize that the attention had shifted to him in the last few seconds and looked from Natasha to Thor, his eyes significantly wider. "It's okay Loki; no one's going to hurt you, promise," Thor reassured. Loki looks skeptical but also a childish like trust in his older brother.

"When are Vision and Wanda supposed to get back," Tony asks, looking to Steve, who was staring at Loki thoughtfully. 

"Uh, anytime now." Steve shrugged, looking down at his watch. The Avengers, as well as their new recruits, have been going back and forth between living in the Avengers Tower and the compound upstate. 

"Well, I suggest we come up with a plan on how we're going to fix this and take care of two baby gods in the meantime," Tony says. 

"We need to buy them clothes and maybe some other small things like sippy cups for Loki and a couple of toys." Banner lists thing aloud.

"Books?" Comes a small voice that effectively stops all other chatter in the room as everyone looks to Loki in surprise. It's the first thing he's said since he showed up and it a startling contrast to the Loki they invaded New York. This Loki's voice was soft and high and laced with uncertainty. While adult Loki was deep and manipulative with everything he said. 

"Yeah, of course, we'll get lots of books if that's what you want," Bruce smiled kindly. Loki nodded, turning back to his blocks. 

"Loki loves reading. He reads all the time even though all the books in Asgard are twice his size," Thor teases causing Loki to pout and turn so his back to Thor. Noticing this Thor frowns and easily pulls his baby brother into his lap kissing all over his face. Loki tries to act disgusted but eventually gives in and giggles at his brother's antics. 

The remaining Avengers get a strange look into what their childhood might have been like, and it is adorable. Looking at Loki now you can't help but wonder where everything went wrong. 

I'm hungry" Thor blurts, causing all the adults in the room to realize they've been staring. 

Bruce coughed awkwardly, "Sure, I'll start making lunch."

After everyone had eaten and Wanda and Vision had returned, Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Banner went out with Thor and Loki to buy essentials. Steve and Banner first took the Asgardian children to the clothing section while Natasha and Clint gathered other supplies ranging from sippy cups and crayons. Tony and the remaining Avengers stayed behind to set up suitable rooms for their friend turned child and his brother.

"What about red like your brother? This looks quite nice-"

"No!" 

"Come on, Loki. You don't just want to wear green all the time, do you?" Steve urged, holding up a blue t-shirt with a red star in the center. Loki shook his head once more from where he sat in the shopping cart and pulled another green shirt down from its hanger and into the basket behind him. 

Steve sighed, but as Loki turned, he put the blue shirt into the cart as well. Bruce was having the opposite problem. He couldn't keep track of all the clothes Thor was pulling off the racks. No matter how much Banner loved his friend Thor's boundless energy was starting to get on his nerves. The nine-year-old was ducking in and out of the clothing racks, jumping out at random times to scare Loki; knocking random things off their shelves.

"Alright, let's go find the other two. We got enough for now. We can order more clothes online if we have to." Banner stated pulled Thor off in the direction Natasha and Clint had gone off in, while Steve pushed the cart. 

Neither adult noticed Loki's mischievous smile as he dropped skittles from the cart one by one, leaving a trail of candy throughout the store. Loki giggled, as a store employee, noticed the mess he'd been making and looked like he was about to say something to Steve, but Clint beat him to it as they all meet up again. 

"Loki what are you doing?" Clint asked, raising an eyebrow as Natasha piled in all the stuff the two had found into the cart. Steve groaned when he too, had noticed the trail of skittles Loki was leaving smiling apologetically at the store employee. 

"Nothing, "Loki responded, pulling the bag of candy closer to his chest not wanting to have to stop what he was doing. The toddler looked at Clint mildly frightened, and Clint wasn't sure if it was because he remembered their past together or if he just knew he was in trouble.

Steve tore the skittles out of Loki's fingers and tucked the bag into his back pocket. "No more wasting skittles. We don't play with food." Steve reprimanded. Loki's lower lip quivered warningly, but Steve didn't break. Loki cried and cried as Thor put his hands over his ears, not knowing what else to do. Clint sighed before grabbing a light green pacifier from out of the package and pushing it between Loki's lips. The boy whimpered looking confused if not a little angry at being interrupted but the pacifier did its job in sooting the toddler into silence.


	2. 2

When they had returned from their shopping expedition, Loki had fallen asleep in the car and was being carried in by Steve as Thor helped Bruce unpack all of their new toys. "Does he have a bed yet?" Steve asked, nodding his head to the sleeping boy on his chest. Tony made an apologetic face before shaking his head.

"It'll be here tomorrow. Just put him on the couch for now." 

After a couple of days, when all the necessary furniture had arrived, and everything they bought was put away, it seemed that the entire tower had been effectively child-proofed. Finally, everything started to settle down, or at least as much as it could.

Loki was putting together a thousand-piece constellation puzzle on the coffee table quietly while Thor colored in his superhero coloring book. Thor was in one of his calmer moods that abled him to sit down for an extended period. Loki had opted out of his nap that day, and no one felt up to arguing with him on it. Although they hadn't had dinner yet and Clint could see he was getting drowsy. He also knew that Loki would be too stubborn to admit he was tired now, so with an exasperated sigh, he went over to the boy and picked him up. Clint put on a movie before getting Loki settled against his side to rest before dinner, which would probably be another hour.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, Loki was drifting in and out of sleep, and Thor was now also watching the film having abandoned his coloring pages. Little later, when dinner was ready, and Thor was starting to get restless sitting still for so long, Wanda came over and picked Loki up gently, strapping him into his highchair. Steve had made ribs and potato skins off of Clint's request. Steve set aside a plate for Loki with the meat stripped off the bone and cut his potato into bite-sized pieces. 

Wanda opted to be the one to help fed Loki as she took her seat next to his highchair. Thor sat on the other side of his brother as he quickly devoured his food. Loki blinked slowly as he picked at the potato chunks in front of him.

"This is delicious, Steve, thanks." Wanda smiles across the table as everyone else gave their compliments to the chef. Thor hummed along in agreement as he continued to shovel bits of food into his mouth. 

"We don't have this in Asgard; it's quite good." Thor smiled.

They didn't always use to do this: eat dinner together at home like this, but young Thor and Loki have made them into even more of a family than they were before. Even if Loki did try to kill most of them at one point.

After dinner Bruce and Tony, everyone goodnight before going down to the lab. Natasha and Clint decided they were going to put on a movie in the common room and as they stood to leave, Loki whined and held his arms up towards Clint, who groaned in response.

"This is what I get for being nice to you." He grumbled, but not denying Loki his wish as he lifted the child from his seat and pulled off the bib. Natasha had enough sense to clip a pacifier to Loki's shirt before they left to pick a movie. Thor decided he'd rather play around with his wooden sword like he use to in the training yards in Asgard when he first started learning. Wanda and Vision volunteered to do the dishes while they kept an eye on Thor. 

Clint chooses Die Hard which earned a frown from Natasha as she bounced Loki on her knee, hoping to tire him out. "What? Maybe he'll like it," Clint laughs. Natasha scoffs but doesn't stop the smile from showing on her face as he starts the movie. Loki watches with interest as he now sits against Natasha's chest, pacifier in mouth. Natasha can't help but find Loki's laughter at absolutely nothing, adorable. 

By the time the movies finished, Loki's eyes are getting droopy as he tries to keep his head mostly propped up. Natasha stands up with him and just rocks him in her arm because she knows that he'll protest the second he notices she's trying to put him to bed. So Natasha sways him until he's sleepy enough to go down peacefully. 

Loki's room is painted dark green, and it had a small white frame bed with matching sheets and side rails to keep him from rolling off. There was also a large bookshelf and a small couch as well as a toy chest. The two years old kept his room tidy and had taped up some of his art on the walls. Thor's bedroom was as well kept with toys thrown about and his bed left unmade. His walls were painted red and had a slightly larger bed than his brother with a dark wooden frame.

Natasha carried Loki into his room and tucked him in; he went to sleep without complaint. When she steps back out into the hallway, she asks Friday if Thor has been put to bed yet or if anyone plans to soon. 

"Doctor Banner has sent Mr. Odinson to bed a few minutes ago, Agent Romanoff." Came Friday's Irish accent. Natasha thanked her before heading back up Clint in the common area. He was right where she left him sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. 

"How are you doing with all of this?" Natasha asked, dropping down on the couch next to him. Clint shrugged, putting down his phone and stare off over the other spy's shoulder before speaking.

"Better then when this all started, I guess." Clint had a hard time looking at Loki as anything other than a homicidal maniac who disregarded everyone at every turn. But something an old mentor had said came to mind, "Those who we see as heartless, once cared too much." He thinks finally understands what she meant.


	3. 3

Steve jolted awake, filled with a sudden panic as he registered what had caused him to rouse from sleep. An ear piercing scream reverberated through the tower and it wasn't long till Steve matched the voice to Loki.

He tore the cover off himself and ran to Loki and Thor's floor. Thor was the only other person there, and the nine-year-old looked just as scared as Steve felt. Steve pulled the covers off Loki's thrashing body just as Wanda and Vision entered the bedroom. Wanda closed her eyes, sending thin tendrils of magic from her fingers to the frightened toddler, hoping to wake him or understand what was causing him to let out those heartbreaking cries.

Wanda stumbled backward, Vision quickly there to steady her as both Wanda's and Loki's eyes shot open. Loki sat up promptly, looking around the room wildly before breaking down into sobs. Thor clambered onto Loki's bed, hugging his brother as he cried. Steve rubbed the two-years-old back as he looked to Wanda's questioningly.

Her eyes looked haunted as she tried to make sense of what she'd seen. Steve couldn't help to worry over what Loki had been dreaming of and how it was so horrible to have been able to get a reaction like this out of his friend. It was barely two in the morning, and they couldn't get Loki back to sleep until around four, with Thor forming a protective shell around his baby brother. Steve sighed in relief at Loki's resting form, he was dead tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but he needed to be sure Wanda would also be okay.

She looked more confused than scared now, but that didn't mean what she saw still didn't shake her to her very core. Wanda refused to leave until Loki was sleeping peacefully again. Vision had gone off to make her favorite tea.

"What did you see?" Steve couldn't help but ask. Wanda took a deep breath and made a face as though she was trying to make a decision.

"I think it would be easier if I showed you. In fact, I'll show everyone in the morning. I think it's something you'll all appreciate knowing," Wanda said. Steve stayed by Loki's bedside a little while longer before they decided to go back to bed for a few more hours.

When morning came, Steve wasn't nearly as well rested as he hoped he would be. Loki was slightly quieter this morning than usual, but not too many people took notice as Loki was not known for being talkative. After breakfast, Wanda gathered everyone in the living room while Vision took Thor and Loki upstairs to watch tv.

"Something of Loki's past haunts him, and I think it important that we're all on the same page about it because I don't think nightmares like the one last night are going to be a one-time occurrence," Wanda started. She lifted her hands as red started to lift off her fingers, looking on patiently to the remaining Avengers for permission to dive into the conscious mind. Some looked less than happy about this but chose not to verbalize this.

Wanda's familiar magic overtook their senses as the room around them faded away.

_Blurred images came in and out of focus as he laid on his back. They'd stripped him of his clothes and tethered him down to the metal table. White hot pain flashed through his veins as blood dripped down the sides of his ribs, pooling under him as hot stakes were pushed just past his skin. His throat too hoarse from screaming to allow any noise to pass his lips now._

_Somehow that's the worst part. Having to endure the pain without being allowed the mere privilege of the release a scream provided. His only available distraction. Only shallow breaths and what little twitching his worn body could still manage._

_Like prongs digging through his conscious mind; corrupting the only remaining happy memories; twisting them until he felt completely isolated from everyone, he used to know and loved. He would bring the Mad Titan his second infinity Stone next to the mind stone. He couldn't fail..._

_"If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you."_

_"You think you know pain? He'll make you long for something sweet as pain!"_

Bruce looks like he's going to be sick and quickly leaves the room. Clint can't help but feel a little angry. Not at Bruce but at Loki, this doesn't excuse what he did, all the lives he took. It doesn't make Clint feel any better either, that Loki was out of his mind when he did what he did to him. Clint is mad because, in most peoples eyes, this lets Loki off the hook. Natasha, as usual, was one step ahead of Clint.

"He's still just a kid, okay. I would never keep you in a situation where you could get hurt, you know that."

"Natasha, he-"

"Do you trust me?" She interrupted, taking his hands in hers. Clint signed, letting the tension drop from his shoulders as he nodded. He pressed a kiss to Natasha's temple, he doesn't know what he'd do without Natasha most days.

"We'll be in the training room if you need us" Natasha address the rest of the team as the two spies made their way to the elevator.

"Loki is going to be very messed up." Stark breaks the silence between the remaining three. Steve runs his hands over his face before standing up.

"I'm going to go check on how Vision's doing." He mumbles, quickly leaving having a sudden urge to be with Loki. Steve finds Thor and Loki working on Loki's puzzle together or rather Thor picking up random pieces and trying to force them down anywhere before Loki picks it up and puts it where it belongs. They've made good progress funnily enough.

When the two Asgardians notice his presence, Thor cheers and runs over to hug the Captain. Loki smiles softly before turning his focus back to his puzzle. Thor's reaction was more or less expected, but Loki still can't seem to decide if he trusts them all yet, but maybe that's starting to change.


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter but I just wanted to post something.

For the first couple days of Loki living in the tower, he didn't care if he was left alone more often than not, he liked alone time in his room with his only supervisor being Friday, Tony's A.I. But recently the mischevious toddler has grown clingy. His current favourites were Tony, Steve, and of course, Thor. Thor didn't leave Loki's side very often as it was, but even if he was gone only long enough to use the bathroom, Loki burst into tears. 

"Steeb!" Loki cried, clenching and unclenching his fists up at Steve. The man can't help the smile that came upon his face at the toddler's pout and rosy cheeks. Steve lifted the boy easily, setting him on his hip as Loki laid his head against Steve's shoulder.

"Can't hold you for long, bud. Gotta start dinner soon." Steve warned, gently bouncing the boy, expecting a tantrum.

"Nooo!" Loki whined, tightening his grip around Steve. 

"That's alright, Steve, we can order in," Natasha said, a smug look on her face as Loki lays his head back down. Steve sighs quietly as he repositions Loki so he can sit down next to Natasha. One look at Loki's face and Natasha knows he 's tried, but she also knows he won't go to sleep. He's been refusing to since his nightmares began and they've tried everything short of drugging him. Natasha tugs on the string connected to Loki's Pacifier that's clipped to his shirt. She pushes it between Loki's still pouting lips and watches his eyes close for a couple of seconds before he's forcibly blinking them open again.

Natasha groaned. "Got any other ideas?" Steve asked.

"I have one thing that might work, but we should order dinner first. Loki should eat now if my idea is going to work, so maybe made him something easy then Thor can have what we're having." Natasha said, pulling out her phone to order their usual from the Chinese restaurant down the street.

Clint had gone home a couple of days ago, but Natasha had mentioned Loki not wanting to go to sleep, and he sent an extra baby swing over that he'd been meaning to get rid of. It always put Cooper right to sleep when he was a baby. After the food had been ordered, Natasha brought out the swing. It was meant for slightly younger children, but Loki's small size meant Natasha was confident he'd fit just fine.

"Friday can you tell everyone that dinner's ready, please." Natasha has set up all the take-out on the coffee table next to a stack of plates. Tradition is to put on a movie when they eat take-out. 

"Everyone's on their way," Friday informs Natasha. Steve takes a seat on the floor at one end on the coffee table, so he's next to the baby swing Natasha brought down. Loki whines when Steve tries to put him down but stops when he sees that the captain isn't going anywhere. Steve turns on the swing as it starts to play calming music and move the seat forward and backward. Loki seems confused by this by lets himself be rocked and he grips Steve hand in his. 

Wanda is walking hand in hand with Thor when they make it to the living room. Thor was rambling on about past adventures with the Warriors Three and Sif. Wanda smiled as Thor broke out into another fit of hysterics, laughing harder then Steve's ever heard him. Steve holds a finger up to his mouth, pointing to the toddler swinging next to him. 

Thor seemed to understand the importance of his baby brother falling asleep and settled down, continuing his story to Wanda in whispers. The rest of the evening is calm as the team talks among themselves quietly, letting Loki sleep for as long as possible. Soon enough, everyone is cleaning up as Steve takes Loki into his bedroom for some quiet. Even in sleep, Loki still grips Steve's fingers tight, not allowing him to leave the toddlers side. Loki sleeps tucked against Steve's chest as Steve takes the time to return to some of his drawings; something he's picked up again recently.

He must have fallen asleep because when he wakes up its morning and Steve thanks every god possible for it seems Loki slept through the whole night. His notebook is sitting on his nightstand, and there's now a blanket thrown over the two. 

If you had told Steve two weeks ago that he'd taking naps with the God of Mischief, he would have taken you straight to a doctor assuming you were crazy. Now he can't help but want to protect the onyx-haired child. He also can't but wonder what caused all of this to happen in the first place. What had caused to such powerful beings such as Thor and Loki to be reduced to their child forms? Or rather, who? 

Steve laid there in thought for a little while longer before Loki roused from sleep, looking up at Steve with those big stoic green eyes he did so well. It was still rather early, so Steve decided to drop Loki off with Tony, much to the other man's disapproval and went to make breakfast for everyone.


	5. 5

The team was grateful for Clint's return to the tower for several reasons. For one, his experience with children made him uniquely qualified for dealing with their de-aged residents. Without a way of returning Thor and Loki to their actual age and Loki's nightmares only getting worse, they've had to come up with creative ways to deal with the two day-to-day problems.

For instance, Bruce discovered that chocolate milk puts Loki right to sleep and that Thor likes watching them cook. But Clint has a specific way of dealing with their curious-minded questions as well as other things that have become common sense to any parent. For instance, the importance of naps for everyone involved.

Of course, his Avengers teammates (other than Natasha) don't know why Clint is so unusually good with kids. He plans to tell them soon, so everyone stops wondering why Shield is assigning him to so many solo missions whenever he's just going home. But right now the Avengers have bigger things to worry about.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Stark asked, looking uncertainly at the man's cape. 

"My name is Dr Stephan Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts." He's interrupted as Loki bursts out laughing quite hysterically making Stephan frown. 

"Odin is on Earth," Stephan continues." and he's in Norway." He quickly begins to open up a portal to a grassy cliff-side in what Tony can only guess is Norway. Strange steps through before turning t look back at the group with one eyebrow raised as if to ask "are you coming?" 

Thor doesn't waste any time running through with Tony shrugging he shoulders not far behind.

"Daddy," Loki says up to Steve, pointing to the open portal. The Captin sighs, and soon enough, the whole team was stepping into Norway.

An older man could be seen ahead sitting on a rock by the cliff-side. Thor immediately takes off running while Loki looks a little more apprehensive. He decides to stay at the Captains side as they make their way after Thor. Odin looks down at Thor lovingly as he helps the boy to sit down beside him. Odin continued to look out over the sea blissfully as the rest of the Avengers and Dr Strange approached the two. Steve lets go of Loki's hand, but the toddler didn't make a move to go to Odin's side as his brother had.

"It took me a while to break your spell, Loki," Odin said before looking over at the small boy. "Frigga would've been proud." He smiles softly. Odin reaches into a leather sack placed at his feet and pulls out a wooden horse. Loki's eyes widen at the sight of it, and he rushes over to his father's side before any of the Avengers know what's happening. Odin smiles as Loki holds the familiar toy close to his chest, his eyes taking in every detail that he had long forgotten.

The next couple things Odin pulls out have the two young gods wiping away tears. A neatly folded piece of yellow silk cloth, a few books, a bracelet and a matching silver and leather necklace with a large carving in the centre of a round pendant: protection charms as well as some other small toys. Childhood items, as well as some pieces to remember their mother. There was a long moment where everyone watches the two gods before Odin finally addressed the team. 

"I'll be returning to Asgard shortly, but I will work on finding a way to reverse the spell on my sons. Until then I would ask that you keep them on Midgard," Odin said as he stood placing a heavy hand in Thor's golden hair.

"Why not take them back with you," Steve asked, straightening up as he spoke. 

"Asgard isn't safe for Loki in his current state, and I wouldn't be able to care for them. I have to take care of a lot of diplomatic matters that have been ignored for far too long." Odin frowned. "For the past two years, Loki had been disguised as me and ruling Asgard after he faked his death saving his brother. He being trapped in this less experienced form made it easier for me to break the spell he's cast upon me. Now I must return and focus on restoring peace among the realms." 

"Thank you for your help, your majesty." Steve nodded, not knowing what else to do as Odin smiled to his two sons just before calling for the Bifrost and disappearing. 

"That was weird." Tony deadpanned. "I'm ready to go home," He said, looking towards Strange expectantly. Strange rolls his eyes, but none the less, opens a portal directly to Stark tower. Thor and Loki silently gathered up the toys and everything else Odin had given them. Loki wore the necklace leaving the bracelet for Thor. Once back at the tower, Loki seemed to return to his usual behaviour, while Thor just kept watching Loki. 

"Loki... What happened on Svartlfheim?" Thor's tone was cold and calm, but Loki knew better than to hope it would stay that way.

"Lots of stuff." He said not even looking up from the book in his lap. Thor had never moved so quickly in his life as he jumped up from his seat on the couch over to Loki, slamming the book shut and forcing Loki's eye to meet his. 

"Was it all just a trick? Did you care at all?" Thor growled. Loki, for the most part, looked slightly frightened at Thor's movement but kept his face impassive as he spoke. 

"I saw an opportunity, and I took it," Loki said smoothly. This apparently wasn't the right thing to say because Thor exploded. The only other people in the room anymore where Bruce, Steve, and Clint; who were all watching ready to intervene.

Thor let go of Loki's face ad instead hauled the boy up by his shirt. "I watched you die! I held you and cried-"

"Then you left me there." Loki interrupted. It was disturbing to hear his young voice talk about something like this. It was almost as if for a moment, the adult Thor and Loki were having an argument. 

Thor looks upset but doesn't respond before he storms off. Clint notices how Loki's wringing his hands and blinking quickly as he picks up the large leather-bound book Thor had thrown on the ground.


	6. 6

"I'll go check on Thor," Bruce said, walking out in the direction Thor ran off in. Loki pulls the book twice his size back into his lap in an effort to ignore all that just happened. He tries not to cry, but then again he's two, so he doesn't hold out for long. Steve picks the toddler up and lets him cry as he bounces him in his arms. This is different from all the other times the boy has burst into tears because now it silent. Just tears rolling down his face and hiccuping; shoving his face into Steve's neck. 

Bruce finds Thor back in his room with his head in his hands. As he gets closer, he can hear sniffling, and it momentarily shocks him because he's never seen Thor cry. Couldn't have imagined it until now.

"Hey buddy, can I come in?" Bruce asked as he gently knocks on the open door to get Thor attention. Thor lifted his head and nodded slowly, wiping his wet eyes with the back of his hand. 

"Do you want to talk about what just happened. It might make you feel better to tell me your side of the story," Bruce offered. Thor smiled lightly and went on to tell Bruce of how he'd taken Jane to Asgard and how his mother had been killed by a Dark Elf before he and Loki had gone to fight the elves resulting in Loki's death. Or so Thor thought. 

Bruce didn't say anything right away; analysing everything Thor just told him. "I'm not saying what he did was right but maybe try and look at this from his point of view. And remember that your brother loves you," Bruce says. Thor pouts, understanding that Bruce is right, but he's still angry. By the time they get back, Natasha and Tony are also in the room again, and Steve's almost got dinner finished. 

Loki was sat on the couch wrapped in a banket, sippy cup in hand as he watched a movie. He was still sniffling, but the crying had stopped. Thor cautiously climbed onto the couch next to his brother, "I hate that you did what you did, but I think I can understand, maybe why you did it," Thor said, carefully watching Loki's face. 

"I also promise to never leave you behind for as long as I live ever again," Thor declared. Loki smiled softly and lifted the blanket laid over him for Thor to crawl under. They sat pressed together for the rest of the movie, and until dinner was ready. 

For the rest of the night, the two were inseparable as always, going back and forth between games of their choosing with the toys Odin had given them. Bedtime was difficult, but Natasha could see Loki was tired an knew it was better to wait for him to come to her. Thor wasn't as hard and was changing into his pj's after the promise of pancakes for breakfast.

To everyone's surprise, Loki managed to sleep through the whole night. Tony's theory is that the charm crafted by their mother had something to do with it.

Natasha, not unlike every morning, was the first up and was surprised to see Loki already up and stacking blocks by himself. He's so quiet that Natasha almost doesn't notice him. "Nightmare?" she asks. He looks up and shakes his head, not looking confused by her presence. "Well let's go brush your teeth then."

It not long before Thor and Steve are also awake. Thor sits at the bar and watches Steve cook the pancakes he was promised with interest. Loki is sitting on an ottoman reading a book that doesn't seem to be in English. Clint and Tony are going back and forth over an episode of Black Mirror over probably nothing, and Natasha and Bruce are drinking coffee on either side of Thor at the bar.

Loki suddenly takes his eyes away from the book in his lap and holds his hand out towards the coffee table. Pale green light shimmers from his hand and encases the decorative bowl placed on the table. Clint and Tony are the only ones who see this and watch in shock as the dish turns into a grey mouse. 

"Why did you do that?" clint asked distrustfully. Loki looks up at the two and shrugs.

"Practice."

The fact that Loki was using magic so freely made Clint nervous. Last time he checked, he didn't like this kind of magic. Tony and Bruce, on the other hand, looked nothing less than intrigued.

"We have a toddler that can create life!" Tony cheered as the mouse scurried off the table. 

"You don't own him," Natasha corrected, catching the mouse before leaving to let it outside. Clint couldn't stop starring at Loki and wondering how much magic he really had; what he could still do with it. Bruce and Tony immediately took the opportunity to ask the boy any and all questions about the "rules" of magic. What they just witnessed shouldn't be possible.

Soon enough, Steve had started serving up plates of pancakes, momentarily taking the focus off Loki. Thor was already shovelling in forkfuls as Tony lifted Loki into his highchair.

"Steve, have you always been this domestic? It's very convenient." Tony teased, taking a plate of pancakes with him before disappearing for probably the rest of the day. Loki smiled as Steve sat next to him and wiped the syrup off his face and hands when he was done. After breakfast, Thor sat on the floor as Loki meticulously braided his hair back, away from his face. It was something they only allowed each other and their parents to do. 

That night after a well-deserved rest day, the tower shook with a familiar glow. It creaked and groaned under the immense power of the Bifrost and in its wake stood a woman.


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unfamiliar visitor comes to the tower with news. (I suck at summaries...sorry)

Tony was, of course, awake; working when Friday alerted him to the visiter. It was four in the morning (oops), and it wasn't like they were expecting anyone. By the time Tony got upstairs, Steve was already there, wearing nothing more than plaid pyjama bottoms and carrying his shield. He was looking warily towards a woman standing outside on the balcony.

The woman had wavy red hair that fell over her tanned and freckled shoulders. She was wearing dark green Asgardian robes and gold armour. She looked young and smiled warmly, a small box tucked under her arm.

"I apologize for coming so early, but I'm afraid it's urgent." She started, coming forward into the building. Steve didn't lower his defences. "My name is Sigyn; I'm a friend of Loki and Thor's."

"What's wrong? Did something happen in Asgard?" Steve asked, lowering his shield but not making a move to set it down.

"The Norn Stones have disappeared. Finding them should be all of our first priorities before they end up in the wrong hands." Sigyn gaze fell to a book on the coffee table that happened to belong to Loki.

"They may be the key to getting the princes back to their former ages." She said, looking back up at the two Avengers.

"Do you have any ideas of who could have these magic stones of yours?" Tony asked.

Currently, no. But the Norn Stone only work if they accept the user's intention. Not just anyone can wield them."

"How do you know we could use them to fix Thor and Loki?" Tony asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I have reason to believe they are what was used to turn the two into children in the first place." Sigyn handed Steve the box she brought with her, motioning for him to open it. The lid is already propped open thankfully because it's evident to everyone Steve wouldn't have been able to work the very complicated latch on the front. Inside is a note written in a language Steve doesn't recognize.

"After Loki was thought to be dead at the hands of the dark elves, Loki disguised himself as Odin on the throne of Asgard. During that time, I received this message written in a code that I created as a child. The only other person to know of it was Loki. He believed he was in danger: that someone was watching him and staying hidden with magic. The next day, he appeared here, with no knowledge of the days' prior."

"Is it possible we could get him to remember by showing him this note," Steve asked.

"It's possible, but that may take more time than we have. I want to stay for a little while to aid in the search and look after the princes." Sigyn spoke boldly and kept her head held high, obviously not making a request.

"It's still too early to have the rest of this conversation anyways. I'll show you to a room," Tony smiled.

 

The next morning Thor ran into the kitchen, his hair still done in braids, granted they were messier now. The nine-year-olds bare feet skid to a stop when he noticed a stranger sitting at the breakfast bar.

"Who's that?" Thor whispers, tugging Steve's shirt. Sigyn smiles and turn around, watching Thor's expression change from confusion to excitement.

"Sigyn?! What are you doing here." Thor rushed forward hugging her legs briefly. Sigyn can feel the tension leaving her body; she didn't know she had at seeing the prince. Although she wasn't quite prepared for seeing him in this state. Her entire life, Thor had been older than her; almost something of a guardian to Loki and herself. Now Thor was the one who needed looking after.

"The Allfather send me to help get you back to your normal selves," She said. Which wasn't the complete truth, but she wasn't lying either.

"Loki's still sleeping, but I can go and get him if you want." Thor smiles sweetly, knowing the bond the two shared. Sigyn smiled, but Bruce spoke before she got the chance.

"No need; look who just woke up," Bruce said, a drowsy god of Mischief perched on his hip. Loki immediately notices Sigyn and Steve watches as they both give matching smiles before Loki's in Sigyn's arms.

"It's been too long, my dear." She says. Loki's fists are clenched tight behind her neck as he speaks. " I missed you too."

Steve makes breakfast as usual as all three Asgardians sit in the living room. No one has mentioned the Norn Stone again, and Steve is just waiting for the rest of the team to make an appearance before bringing it up. He wants his friend back.

It turned out that Clint had other plans for after breakfast, however. He and Natasha had made a bet surrounding Thor and Loki and how they thought to two would do with the Stanford Marshmellow Experiment.

"Alright boys, come here a moment." The archer set two marshmallows on two separate plates for each of them before explaining the rules. "If you boys want to eat these, you can, or you can wait an hour and then I'll give you two marshmallows. Understand?" Natasha is watching from the other couch as both princes nod. Loki looks uninterested, but not twenty minutes later, Thor is sneaking bites of his marshmallow. Natasha chuckles smugly holding her hand out flat towards Clint. He sighs and pulls out a twenty, slapping it down in Natasha's hand. Clint also gives Loki a second marshmallow, frowning at Thor, who shrugs, cheeks full of the fluffy treat. Loki also proceeds to stuff his mouth with the sweets before climbing back into Sigyn's lap.


	8. 8

Since her arrival, Loki has refused to leave Sigyn's side. Steve could help but question what kind of relationship they'd had before Loki tried to conquer Earth. She had been doing most of the toddler care since she arrived and was the best of them. 

The Avengers were all sitting around the dining table, Thor and Vision in the living room watching a movie. They tried to get Loki to watch the film too, but unsurprisingly he chose to stick by Sigyn's side. 

"So, these Norn Stones are important, huh?" Tony asked, biting his lip, knowing what the answer would be. 

"Yes. Incredibly so." 

Loki was sat in Sigyn's lap, looking at the note his older self had written to her. They were all hoping it would trigger something: anything. So far, it hadn't. Sigyn sighs when Loki tries to push the small paper into his mouth, taking it from him and placing it out of reach. Loki grumbles not knowing what they all want him to do with the paper they keep handing him. 

"We need to focus on motive if we want to find the person who took the stones," Clint says. 

"Okay... getting Loki off the throne is an obvious power grab but it doesn't explain Thor." Tony thought aloud. 

"We can suppose Thor was caught in the crossfire," Natasha suggested.

"Yes, but that still leaves a who? Lots of people want Asgard's throne." Sigyn says, letting Loki play with her many rings. Steve couldn't help but notice one in particular.

"I apologise if this isn't my place, but are you married?" Steve asked nodding to the gold band around her finger. Sigyn smiles but shakes her head. 

"I was... a long time ago. He was overlooked by a lot of people, and in the end, it's what destroyed him." 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did he pass away?" 

"Yes... Our marriage was strictly political and was never anything I knew would last. I keep the ring to remember the person he was when he gave it to me, not the man he turned into." She says, giving a small smile when Steve looks like he's about to apologise again. Loki is also looking up at Sigyn sadly now as if what she had said hurt him. 

They all try to move on quickly. Sigyn helps Bruce and Tony figure out an accurate way of tracking the energy the stones, and Clint and Natasha leave to brief Fury. Loki has been placed in Steve's arms, and for once he's not fighting to get back to Sigyn's. The toddler turns and lays his head against Steve's shoulder, wide awake and eerily quiet.

It's not until later that day that it looks like Tony and Sigyn's plan to track the stones looks like it may work. They keep getting something on the map before disappearing over and over again. Tony's confident it just needs a little tinkering however Sigyn and the rest of the team can't help but notice there new problem.

The signals kept popping up sporadically around New York.

Tony can't tell if the signals are jumping around because the stones are moving or if it's because the Norn Stones are separated. Both could mean bad things. Steve decides to take Loki upstairs to his brother and Vision again. He needs to call Sam for a Bucky update anyway.

Loki presses himself against Thor's side on the floor as the latter draws in the Iron Man colouring book Tony graciously bought him. Thor offers Loki some of his crayons silently. Still, Loki shakes his head, looking towards the elevator every now and then. 

Thor doesn't notice when Loki takes one of his crayons and starts writing on a restaurant napkin that was left on the coffee table. The toddler has been having more and more moments of clarity you could say. He obviously knows who the Avengers are but certain points in time like the days before he was send to Midgard with Thor are absent from his mind, as well as Thor's. However, Loki keeps having these moments where his adult self is able to take control for only a couple seconds. It hasn't happened a lot but it's proof that Loki is trying to fight off the spell. 

Like right now, Loki knows not to waste time trying to find someone. He's trying to connect the dotes as quickly as possible before he forgets again. Loki scribbling letters on the napkin trying to spell something. He can't remember exactly what, but he's getting closer.

"Amora?" Thor asks tilting his head like a puppy. Loki looks up at him startled looking back down at the napkin surprised. He smiles, taking the napkin and running off to find Sigyn. 

Friday takes him down to the lab where she's alerted Sigyn of his arrival. He quickly shoved the napkin up at her, the smile still on his face.

He doesn't understand why she doesn't look happy when she reads it. 

He remembered something after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter.


	9. 9

"Amora?" Who's Amora?" Tony interrupts, taking another bite of his sandwich. Sigyn takes a moment to respond, still looking at the napkin Loki just handed to her. She must of read the name out loud at some point for Tony to know it. 

"Amora is a sorceress from Asgard, but she was banished centuries ago. She was the one spying on Loki when he was in Asgard ruling as Odin." Sigyn says, handing Tony the napkin. 

"Loki remembered this? That good, right? Plus now we know who we're looking for."

"Yes but Loki will not be easily outmatched, especially with the Norn Stone in her possession." Tony nods and tells Friday to brief the rest of the team. It's already pretty late, and even if Tony isn't planning to go to bed, he knows most of his teammates are. They have to make up a plan on how to move forward tomorrow.

Sigyn takes Loki into her arms, ignoring his concerned looks. Nothing she can say will ease him without him knowing she is lying. Amora and Loki were close when they were children; they studied magic together. Sigyn can't imagine why Amora would let Loki live when she had the chance to take him out. He knows her better than anyone. Why let both him and Thor live before she's done what she wants with the Norn Stones. 

She needs to get back to Asgard to inform the council and Queen Karnilla of what they know. Heimdall will likely have told Odin by then, but she knows they'll want to talk to her too. 

Loki holds his arms above his head, clenching his fists up at her asking to be picked up. Sigyn smiles at his pout, lifting him effortlessly. He tucks his head into her neck, his thumb in his mouth: it's his way of telling her that he's ready for bed. 

As Sigyn tucks Loki into his bed, she can hear Steve across the hall trying to talk Thor into going to bed as well. Once she was confident Loki would wake at the first sound, she went to Thor's room to try and help persuade the young prince. 

"Look, I promise I'll make you a dozen pancakes in the morning, okay." Steve pleads sitting on the side of Thor's bed with Thor sat against the headboard; not even under the covers yet.

"But why can't I just have them now?"

"Because it's late and it's good for you digestive system to eat this late at night," Steve argued. For some reason, this makes Sigyn laugh from where she stood in the doorway. Both Steve and Thor jump only just now noticing her. 

"Thor, the quicker you fall asleep, the faster morning and breakfast will come. Wouldn't that be better than waiting by yourself for hours?" Sigyn challenges. Thor looks at her thoughtfully, sighing then heaving himself under his bold red sheets. Steve smiles relieved and mouthes a "thank you" in her direction. They both step out into the hall once there convinced Thor going to stay lying down in bed. 

"Thanks for your help; he never seems to want to sleep for some reason." Steve smiles, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

"Well naturally Asgardians require less sleep, not its not like sleeping a little more is going to hurt him," Sigyn says.

"I need all the sleep I can get taking care of those two." Steve chuckles.

"I wanted to thank you for that. I appreciate that you are trying to treat the princes both equally despite the history you share with Loki. It can't be easy."

"Somehow I think you can relate to that." 

Sigyn looks startled at him but smiles. She looks down at the floor to try and hide her blush as they bid each other goodnight. Sigyn goes back to Loki's room, taking a pillow and extra blanket off the chair in the corner before lying down on the floor next to Loki's bed. 

She smooths Loki's hair out of his face, smiling softly when he moves into her touch. Sigyn's dreading the morning when she will be leaving for Asgard. She won't be gone long, but that won't matter if Amora hurts the princes.

 

As expected, Loki isn't happy with Sigyn leaving, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck not showing any sign of letting up anytime soon. Bruce tries to gently pry Loki off of the Asgardian, letting her walk out onto the balcony as the rest of them watch her call down the Bifrost. 

Loki has crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks as he stares dejectedly at were Sigyn is quickly disappearing up the Bifrost. Bruce rubs his back in slow circles, trying to ease his whimpering and hiccuping. Natasha hands him a pacifier to help soothe the toddler that does well enough. Bruce rocks Loki in his arms before setting him down next to Thor at the breakfast bar. 

Wanda takes the seat next to the young Asgardians petting Loki's hair as Thor tries to lift his brother's spirit by regaling him with the dreams he had the night before. As breakfast progresses, Loki begins giggling at Thor's ridiculous stories, both their mouths stained red from the cranberry juice. When they're finished, Steve and Natasha decide to take them down to the park. It's Tuesday so it's not crowded by any means so they can let Thor and Loki run around for a little while. Loki's smiling as he runs after his brother, he's still upset Sigyn has gone, but Loki still has Thor, and for now, he'll do.


	10. 10

It's easy to distance yourself from the reality of the situation. Still, there are other moments when you're forced to remember that these two children in your care are hundreds of year old gods. They have power beyond most human comprehension, and yet there were rendered helpless by a new enemy. Bruce can look at Loki and simply see a hurt child, but Loki is still very dangerous. He weaponizes his intelligence and tricks people into playing the part he needs them to. Right now, all that might mean is manipulating for a little extra ice cream after dinner, but Bruce knows better than to let his guard down too much.

The scientist sets down a bowl of cooked beets and butter in front of Loki. They're his favorite, and Bruce isn't going to question the boy's love of winter roots. They've been trying to cheer up the toddler since they've gotten back from the park, and beets usually do the trick. Thor has gone on like all is normal, not nearly as affected by Sigyns leaving.

The toddler smiles, picking up a piece of the beets, and stuffing it in his mouth. Bruce counts this as a win.

The elevator doors pull open, and Natasha, Clint, and Steve all file into the kitchen, probably coming from the gym. Natasha starts making herself lunch, and Steve smiles at Loki who's mouth and chin and slowly being stained pink by the beets. The two-year-old picked up a piece of the root and held it out towards Steve, who takes it graciously. Loki does the same to Clint next, who smiles tightly but eats it anyway to appease the boy, who smiles.

"You hate beets," Natasha says, smirking at her friend as he scowls at her.

"Shut up."

She chuckles but turns her attention back to the sandwich she's making. "Either if you want one?" She offers, looking over at the other three adults in the room. Clint accepts while the other two politely decline. Steve goes to sit next to Loki at the small table in the corner. He says small, but it would fit the six comfortably. It's round and glass with a steel base: sleek and modern like a lot of the tower. It's set in front of the large windows looking over New York City. Loki is staring out at the cityscape with curious eyes. It's snowing lightly as New Yorker buzz around on the streets below, not bothered by the change in weather. Loki points out the window and looks up expectantly at Steve.

"Use your words Loki," Steve says. The toddler rolls his eyes.

"Can we go outside?" Loki asks, finishing the rest of his lunch. Steve tried to wipe away the pink on Loki's face, but it useless. There get it later.

"Sure, wanna go put on some warmer clothes," Steve says, picking Loki up and walking the empty bowl to the sink.

"No, don't need to." He insists. For once, Steve simply gives rather than argue. He won't let him be out for long, and he's already wearing long sleeves.

Thor comes running out of the elevator with Vision and Wanda hot in his trail. They look exhausted, but Wanda smiles at Thor's enthusiasm as he cheers and points out the window at the storm.

"Look, brother, it's snowing!" Thor cheers, running up to the window to get a better look.

"Steeb says we can go outside!" Loki says, bouncing excitedly in Steve's arms.

"Yes, but shoes first." Wanda and Steve take them up to their room to put on their shoes before bringing them out to the big balcony on the side of Avengers Tower. It's covered in a sheer amount of snow. Still, Thor and Loki take full advantage of it: gathering it in their hands and throwing it up in the air and then eventually at each other.

Steve winces when Thor slips on some ice but relaxes again when Thor gets right back up and charges after Loki, who can't even be bothered enough to try and stop laughing. Thor is trying to be angry at his little brother but can't help smiling at the younger boy's delight.

After Thor gets Loki pinned, they both stare and watch the snowfall. It only ever snows in Asgards mountains, and the Princes rarely got the chance to see it growing up. They'd seen in other Realms, but never truly got to appreciate the beauty of it.

"Told you it was beautiful," Thor whispers, looking up at the new york sky. Loki nods, not wanting to tear his eyes away. He loves how the cold flacks feel on his skin and how snow is getting caught in his eyelashes. He doesn't feel Thor staring at him till he speaks.

"Please show me," he asks. However, vague this sounds to Steve and Wanda, Loki nows exactly what Thor is asking.

"Show you what?" Loki's face is blank, and Thor frown at him, putting his hands on Loki's face to make the younger look at him.

"Your true form, I wish to see it."

Thor hardly expects this to work, but the weather must have put Loki in a better mood than he thought.

Loki closes his eyes and lets his Aesir form shimmer away in green light as cobalt blue skin is revealed and ruby red eyes. Thor's eyes widen, causing Loki to flinch; they both ignore the other two Avengers gasps. Thor lets his fingers lightly trace over the ley lines on Loki's skin, slightly surprised when he isn't burned. Loki seems to be equally surprised. Thor notices for the first time small horns that are almost entirely hidden by Loki's hair and reach up to touch them. The jotun was pushing his head into the touch, not expecting it to feel as lovely as it does.

They both remember they're not alone when Wanda speaks up.

"You look so handsome, Loki," She smiles. Loki looks at them both nervously and surprisingly decides to stay in his jotun form. They don't stay outside for much longer when Steve notices Thor is quite obviously getting pretty cold.

Loki holds his arms up at Steve, and the captain doesn't hesitate to lift him into his arms. The toddler leans his head against the man's chest as they all head inside. Loki giggles when Clint chokes on some of his drink when he sees the miniature frost giant.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a story like this so I'm open to any and all suggestions as to where the story could go from here. I love comments! Also in this AU, Hulk didn't leave in a quinjet after Ultron.


End file.
